February 28, 2013

Green Grocery Tips: Walmart

The pursuit of sustenance has never been easy, though for most contemporary, first-world denizens, it's a largely consolidated quest. One-stop shopping is the evolutionary novelty that likely propelled Walmart to becoming the country's largest grocer. (Recall: 10,000-plus stores in 27 countries.)

Chris
Schraeder, senior manager of sustainability communications at Walmart, said, "For such a big
company, even small changes can make a big difference."

Installing skylights, light sensors, and solar installations can add up between the company's more than 4000 domestic stores, though not all locations implement each practice. The company's evaluating the environmental impact of its food products, too.

"We’re working with
all of our suppliers, some NGOs, some universities to identify each category
that’s sold in the supermarket," Schraeder said. "Cereal might be a category, fresh produce, laundry. We’re working to identify the hot spots in each of those categories. Sometimes it’s
transportation. Sometimes it’s water management. Sometimes it’s packaging. There can be any number of things that are impacting
that product through the supply chain."

TrackBack

User comments or postings reflect the opinions of the responsible contributor only, and do not reflect the viewpoint of the Sierra Club. The Sierra Club does not endorse or guarantee the accuracy of any posting. The Sierra Club accepts no obligation to review every posting, but reserves the right (but not the obligation) to delete postings that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate.